Fugees rapper Pras Michel has been sentenced following his 2023 conviction in a $100 million political conspiracy case.
Michel, 53, was handed a 14-year prison term by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in a Washington, D.C., courtroom on Thursday, Nov. 20, according to his attorney. After his release, he is expected to serve three years of probation, his representative told Entertainment Weekly. Michel is scheduled to surrender to federal custody by Jan. 27, 2026.
The sentencing arrives more than two years after a jury found him guilty of multiple charges, including conspiracy, concealment of material facts, making false entries in records, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The case centered on an international scheme involving Malaysian financier Jho Low, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Prosecutors alleged that in 2012, Low transferred $21.6 million into accounts tied to Michel to funnel major sums into the U.S. presidential election—money that ultimately supported former President Barack Obama’s campaign. Investigators say Michel then used about $865,000 of those funds to reimburse donors who contributed to the campaign.
Michel was also convicted of trying to influence officials in President Donald Trump’s administration to halt an investigation into Low, who is internationally wanted over accusations of embezzling from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, according to the DOJ.
In June 2024, the Justice Department reached an agreement with Michel to return more than $100 million allegedly stolen from the fund, money prosecutors say was also used to finance projects such as The Wolf of Wall Street, per BBC and Entertainment Weekly.
The trial featured testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Prosecutors argued that Michel “betrayed his country for money,” with filings noting that comparable cases have often resulted in sentences around 20 years and that his punishment should match the seriousness of the conduct.
Michel’s legal team had urged the court to impose a 36-month sentence, calling it a fair outcome. After sentencing, his attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, said in a statement that the verdict was not supported by the evidence and that the sentence was wildly disproportionate compared with others charged in the same alleged scheme. He added that Michel plans to appeal.
Michel’s representative echoed that sentiment, saying he remains thankful for supporters and intends to keep fighting the conviction as he prepares for the next chapter.
Michel rose to fame as a member of the Fugees, widely considered one of the defining hip-hop groups of the 1990s. Their final album, The Score (1996), was certified seven-times platinum by the RIAA.
